Roasted Apple & Fennel Salad With Toasted Hazelnuts & Goat Cheese

Author Notes:One of our favorite ways to enjoy first-of-the-season apples beyond eating them out of hand, is in all sorts of fall-inspired salads—sometimes thinly sliced and simply tossed with spicy arugula, sometimes as one ingredient in a dense salad packed with roasted winter squash, farro, toasted nuts and more. Here we’ve combined it with a common companion—fennel—and roasted them both together to intensify their earthy fall flavors. Fresh herbs and lemon zest brighten and lighten the salad up. Toasted hazelnuts and goat cheese make it a little bit indulgent and totally irresistible. We serve the dish with roasted pork or chicken but it’s a filling meal on its own. —What We Eat Gals

Preheat the oven to 425*F. Cut the fennel bulbs into 1-inch wedges, reserving the fennel fronds for finishing the salad. Cut the apples into similarly sized wedges. Spread the fennel on one parchment-lined sheet pan, and spread the apple on another. Drizzle both generously with olive oil, and season with salt, freshly cracked black peppers, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Roast the apple pan for 15 to 20 minutes, and roast the fennel pan for ~30 minutes, flipping each halfway through, until all are caramelized, golden brown, and tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on sheet pans.

To finish the dish, carefully layer the roasted apples, roasted fennel, mint leaves, fennel fronds, sliced scallions, toasted hazelnuts and crumbled goat cheese on several layers on a shallow serving platter. Zest over 1 lemon and shower the whole thing with lemon juice and a drizzle of best quality extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy as a filling salad on its own or serve with roasted pork or chicken.

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16 Reviews

This was easy and wonderful. We used toasted pine nuts rather than hazel nuts. Agree this can be doctored with many leftovers. I think I will use this for guests and pair it with Cornish hens. Super elegant! Super yummy.

We loved this! I played around quite a bit because of what I had on hand but still used the fennel, apples, goat cheese and hazelnuts. Added 1 cubed rutabaga, some shallots and mushrooms. For added protein (though the cheese would do nicely enough), I added a can of chickpeas that I sizzled on the stove in olive oil with several cloves of garlic. Didn't have mint which we love but the recipe was still so good and it had an intriguing, must-take-another-bite quality that makes this a keeper in our house.

I made this last night, and it was awesome! The combination of mint and chile flakes is inspired! I had a little left over, and it made a wonderful salad for lunch over mixed greens. I’m so happy that you created this recipe.

Will this work good without the mint leaves? It looks and sounds totally fab with the exception of the mint, which is a flavor that i'm not fond of at all. And congrats on being the winning submission!!!!!

Ty so much!!!!! I've already shared with my sister-in-law and we're planning for a family night to make this and enjoy together! We'll definitely have to accompany with roasted chicken and i'm salivating just thinking about it!

Excellent salad! I was a little skeptical about the mix of ingredients (apples, fennel, green onions, mint, cheese, red pepper flakes?), but I had green apples and fennel from my CSA box, so I gave it a go. I followed the recipe and went for the blue cheese option - it all worked. This recipe is a keeper.

Great questions! You can just give the fronds a rough chop or tear them gently by hand. If your mint leaves are small, simply leave them whole, otherwise give them a rough chop or tear them gently by hand as well. Hope you enjoy the salad!